Professor Maurice Dyson has been invited to speak at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School regarding First Amendment rights in public education on September 21.
The UMKC symposium is titled “40 Years of Landmark School Speech Cases Through the Eyes of Those Who Were There.”
Professor Dyson’s presentation is titled “Free Speech Rights in Schools: Implications in the Aftermath of Fraser.” He will examine constitutional free speech in public education under the Bethel School District v. Fraser case and how recent cases, regulation and zero tolerance policies have taken an expansive view of what is regarded as offensive speech and conduct that exceeds the scope of legitimate constitutional concern in minimizing substantial disruption to the educational process. He will be presenting along with the original plaintiffs and litigators in this landmark U.S. Supreme Court case.
In the case, Matt Fraser sued his school for disciplining him after he delivered an offensive speech at a school assembly. The Court held that school officials do not violate the First Amendment when they discipline offensive student speech.
For more information on the symposium visit the web page.
